FoodShed Planet Kids: Meet Ryan--UPDATED!

So I guess there's been a lot of water talk in our house lately, with the drought and all, and you know how kids are. They take everything in and you never know how it's going to come out. And so, once again, when I thought I'm past being surprised about anything, I was floored.

We were having lunch and talking about our charity plan for this holiday season. The new Heifer International catalog had come, and we always enjoy choosing which animals to donate in honor of some of our family members with whom a "charity-exchange" has become a beloved annual ritual (the most touching part for me is the letters the cousins write to each other about what they chose to do, and why).

But my kids didn't seem jazzed about Heifer this year. The bees! The bunnies! The ducks! The goats! No, no, no, no.

And then my older daughter said, "I heard about this boy, Ryan . . ."

Turns out a 6-year-old from Canada named Ryan Hreljac heard in school about African women who didn't have enough water to drink, and he decided to raise money to build a well near their village. He did extra chores around his house to eventually, four months later, raise $75 to donate, which turned out to be enough only for a pump handle. He needed $2000 to build the well. So he kept going, eventually raising that amount. And then he just kept going.

Since then, the now-16-year-old Ryan and his non-profit organization, Ryan's Well Foundation, has helped raise several million dollars and has supported more than 319 water sources (wells, protected springs, water harvesting tanks, etc.) in 14 developing countries in the world. (Ryan also had an African penpal named Jimmy, to whom Ryan no longer writes. That's because Ryan's parents adopted Jimmy and Jimmy is now his brother).

"Let's do something for that organization," my daughter said. "There are people in this world with much worse water issues than ours."

And, sure enough, there are. According to the Water Facts section of the Ryan's Well website:

* Currently, 20% of the world's population faces water shortages.
* Two of every five Africans lack access to an improved water supply.
* More than 1 billion people around the world have no access to improved water supplies.

Additionally, my friends in Australia have shared a bit about the drought there, and I know we are not alone in our mounting challenge with the most basic of needs. According to the Herald Sun, Tasmania produces 70% of Australia's processed vegetables but this year there is not enough water to even put a crop in. What's more, a dry spring and floods in the summer made Europe a tough growing environment this year as well, and the diversion of crops to biofuels has also reduced crop supply worldwide.

The most shocking thing I read? Available food in storage around the world is the least it has been since World War II, a matter of a few weeks' supply.

Ouch. Where to start? Well, we're going to start with Ryan, because if there is one thing I've learned these past few months, it all starts with water.

About 90% of charitable donations to Ryan's Well Foundation go to well-building activities, and Ryan has established networks in place that cut through bureaucracy--and get things done.

But how can I make this bigger than my family and our little contribution? Is there power in the pen? Can my little voice alone on the computer coming from a hardly-known city in the southern United States be heard around the world? Can we join forces as FoodShed Planet Friends and direct contributions to one specific well-building project? Can we wake up on Christmas Day and know that we have changed the world for the better?

According to the Ryan's Well website, all donations of more than $1000 can be directed toward a single well. I searched through the projects in progress and discovered the Kajiado Community Water Supply Program. This program, already almost halfway funded, would create a rainwater harvesting system for a largely Maasai community of cattle farmers. Sounds like a perfect fit for FoodShed Planet's mission of helping people eat close to home around the world.

And so, I throw this out as the FoodShed Planet Kids suggestion of the week. If you want to participate, earmark your donation to Ryan's Well Foundation as "Part of the FoodShed Planet Friends fund for Kajiado." I'll contact Ryan and let him know.

If this is not for you (and believe me, I know how we're all getting hit up by a million different charities at this time of year), you and your children may want to check out Ryan's PDF, How to Volunteer This Year. It has general advice for older kids to make a difference in their communities and beyond, doing charity-based activities of their own choosing. It's a nice "seed to plant" for the future.

My favorite Ryan Hreljac quote?

You can make a difference in the world, but only if you really try hard and really want to. Just pick a dream and then go for it. Oh, and never give up!

P.S. If you could do me a little favor and forward this to anyone you think might be interested, it would be greatly appreciated. I believe in the power of our collective, positive energy.

UPDATE: November 19, 2007

Wow! Just heard from my friends in Australia and they are IN! Check out this post. I think our Flat Stanley adventures simply prepared us for something bigger. Life is funny that way, isn't it?

UPDATED AGAIN: Later the same morning :)

Just heard from the Ryan's Well Foundation:

Hi Pattie,

Thank you so much for your support and your kind words. Ryan will be thrilled that (is it your daughter?) is interested in helping to make a difference too! We can absolutely keep track – as long we can link the donors somehow – it would be helpful if they made reference to this in the comment section of their online donation – ie. They could just put FoodShed Planet Friend.. or something to identify this link.

Thanks again

Joanne

FoodShed Planet Kids: Meet Ryan--UPDATED!